Beacon Falls Energy Park Plan Wins Siting Council Approval

A proposal to build what would be the largest fuel-cell energy park in the world, capable of producing 63.3 megawatts of clean power, cleared another hurdle this week by winning Connecticut Siting Council approval.

The overall project is expected to eventually cost "a couple hundred million dollars at least," according to William Corvo, a spokesman for the energy park's developers. O&G Industries Inc. is the lead partner in the project, and the energy park's planned 21 fuel cells will be manufactured by Danbury-based FuelCell Energy.

Developers of the Beacon Falls project say that, once it's completed in 2019, the energy park will be capable of generating enough power to provide electricity to 60,000 Connecticut homes and businesses. The project is planned to be built on about 10 acres of a 25-acre former sand and gravel mine owned by O&G. Corvo said construction could start by the end of 2016 if all necessary permits and financing are in place.

The plan still needs to win the approval of state energy officials to qualify for contracts with Connecticut-based electricity companies. Those contracts will be needed to achieve the financing essential to the project, according to Corvo.

"We're not looking for anything [from the state] except for support for contracts" with electricity supply companies, Corvo said.

State energy officials are asking for competing proposals from energy industry companies for the best ways to meet Connecticut's future energy needs, including clean energy projects, conservation concepts and plans for new gas pipelines.

The proposed energy park would also need a new pipeline to supply the amount of natural gas that the 21 massive fuel cells would use, said Corvo. He said the developers are negotiating with Yankee Gas and its parent company, Eversource Energy (the former Northeast Utilities), to develop plans for such a pipeline.

Fuel cells of the type planned for the energy park use chemical reactions to turn natural gas into power. Fuel cell advocates point out that these systems don't emit the greenhouse gases that oil- and coal-fired plants send into the atmosphere, and Connecticut is one of 12 states that designate fuel cells using natural gas as renewable energy producers.

According to the project's developers, the proposed energy park could provide the town of Beacon Falls with $90 million in local tax revenue over the life of the project.